


Sunflowers On Christmas

by hips_of_steel



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Attempted robbery, Christmas, For a Friend, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-22
Updated: 2015-05-22
Packaged: 2018-03-31 15:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3983791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hips_of_steel/pseuds/hips_of_steel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matthew Williams runs a little flower shop near a train station. Every day, a tall silver haired man walks by and admires the sunflowers. For months, Matthew has made sure to always have a bouquet out for him to see, even while the seasons turn from autumn to winter, hoping that one day he will have the courage to invite the man in.</p><p>(Gift for a friend I know it's not Christmas, but she didn't care.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunflowers On Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I know this isn't the right time of year for a Christmas story, but it's a gift for a friend of mine, and when I told her it had turned into a Christmas story, she said "I don't care. Publish it anyways. Please?" So here I am, posting a Christmas story in May... *shrugs* Oh well.

Matthew Williams loved his little floral shop. He didn't care that it was built between a dance studio which always had the music on way too loud, and a tobacco shop, which meant that the side room he used as his office always smelled of smoke. To him, this was a tiny piece of paradise. He had enough customers to keep himself afloat, and he also spent a fair amount of his time in silence in the back room, arranging new bouquets.

His dog Kuma always laid down right at the counter and barked just as the 3:40 train went past. Kuma looked like a polar bear, with long white fur, and he was gentle to everyone who ever came in. A few times, young mothers had panicked when the large dog walked over to their children, but Kuma would just lay down and wouldn't protest anything. He sometimes even took the smallest children for rides on his back.

Matthew always made sure that he had a bouquet of sunflowers in the window within two minutes of Kuma's bark, because without fail, at 3:44, a tall man with silver hair walked by and stopped for a minute to admire the sunflowers.

Matthew had first noticed him about four months ago on a hot August day. He remembered it well. He'd had the door propped open due to the heat, and only had his most heat tolerant plants on display, while the others were in the back, the only room he could keep cool with the air conditioning. He'd had a large bouquet of sunflowers in his window, from his own home garden, in fact. The man had stopped at the window to examine the flowers for quite a while, and honestly Matthew thought he was going to come in and buy them. Instead, he'd smiled and walked away, as though he had found his own little piece of paradise.

When Matthew had had to remove the bouquet later in the week, the man had walked by and stopped, but that day his face fell and he kept on walking.

From then on, Matthew had made sure there was always a bouquet of sunflowers in his window.

Winter was here, though, and Matthew was beginning to worry. Soon there wouldn't be anymore sunflowers for him to order without going bankrupt.

And he still hadn't worked up his courage to ask the man to go on a date with him.

Kuma ran into Matthew's tiny apartment and instantly curled up on his dog bed, and was asleep within minutes.

Matthew had eaten a sandwich in the shop for dinner. It was nearly Christmas, and he'd kept the shop open late in order to make sure everyone who had ordered flowers picked them up. He sighed as he headed over to his medicine cabinet and pulled out his pills.

He took a large dose of anti-anxiety medicine everyday, but sometimes it couldn't keep the stress and headaches away. He took his Tylenol and then headed to his bedroom.

As he washed his face, he looked up at himself in the mirror. He had huge bags under his eyes, and a frown that he thought might be there permanently now. He sighed. How much longer could he keep going before he collapsed? His father had been out of the picture for years, his mother was dead, and his half-brother was a complete and total opposite of him, and he could barely stand to be in the same room with him for more than fifteen minutes. Alfred meant well, but he was easily distracted, and Matthew guessed he must be the most uninteresting thing ever placed in front of Al.

He collapsed into his bed, and soon felt sleep steal him away from the world.

Christmas Eve came, and Matthew's window display was filled with poinsettias and Christmas cacti. He'd hung a banner which proclaimed "Happy Holidays!" in his window.

The only thing which might distract the passerby's eyes from the usual Christmas plants was the large bouquet of sunflowers in the window.

It was fairly late in the day, about six in the evening, and snow was beginning to fall. Yesterday's thin layer of snow had turned grey or brown over the day, and Matthew reveled at the white layer he'd be able to walk home in.

He was just finishing up some paperwork at the counter when the bell rang. He turned and saw the silver-haired man in his shop.

"Excuse me, but how much are the sunflowers?"

Matthew was stunned for a moment, but then he smiled. "Free."

The man seemed taken aback. "No, I can't take them for free."

Matthew walked out from behind the counter and over to the window display, picking up the vase. "You've stopped to admire them every day, and it's Christmas Eve. They have your name on them, and the only price I'm selling them at is free."

The man looked at him as he held out the vase, an eyebrow raised.

Matthew felt his confidence fading, until the man reached out and very gingerly took the vase full of flowers. "Thank you, Matthew." He said, and he meant it. Matthew was startled that he knew his name for a moment, but quickly remembered the name-tag on his shirt.

Matthew watched the man fade into the distance as the snow fell, and it wasn't until he was locking the door ten minutes later that he realized he'd forgotten to ask the man his name.

Three days after Christmas, Kuma barked right as the 3:40 train went by, headed towards the station.

Matthew smiled and headed into the back. He'd put together the bouquet earlier today, and he knew that today was the day. He'd ask out the silver-haired man with a bouquet of the biggest, most colorful sunflowers he could get.

He lifted the vase and had just stepped back into the main part of the shop when he saw two young men standing there. "Hello! How may I help you today?" He asked as he headed over towards the window. "A bouquet, or seasonal plants?"

Suddenly he felt the knife at his back. "We're not looking for any trouble, just some cash."

Matthew had frozen in place. His heart rate had picked up, and suddenly he heard a growl from his office space. Kuma had been put in there.

"Now drop the flowers and walk over to the little safe you have under your front counter. We want all the money you have."

He couldn't move.

The young man shoved him and the sunflowers went flying, and crashed onto the floor. Glass went everywhere, as did water and flowers. "Move!"

Matthew went over to the counter, and hands shaking, first opened the cash register, and then knelt down to open the safe. The thieves were crouching next to him, and he wondered if he'd get to live through this robbery.

Suddenly the shop bell rang. One of the thieves whispered. "Stand up, and act natural."

He stood up, adjusting the glasses on his face, and saw the silver haired man. At first he was smiling, until he saw the bouquet on the floor. Then his eyes darted down towards the space Kuma was always in, unless there was people in the shop. His eyes connected with Matthew's, and Matthew knew that the man understood something was wrong.

"Can I help y-you, sir?" He managed to get out before the thieves wondered why he wasn't doing anything.

"Yes, I ordered a bouquet earlier this week. Some of the flowers are out of season, but you assured me that you could get them over the phone."

"Ah, y-yes, you're the order. I just finished the bouquet a few min-minutes ago. It's in the back. I'll jus-just go and get it..."

He felt the knife move away from his back and he was able to step away from the counter and headed towards the back door.

"Oh, and Matthew?"

Matthew turned.

"I'd like another bouquet while you're in there. Surprise me, and take all the time you need."

Matthew stared for a moment, but then he saw the glint of metal at the man's waist. A badge!  He was an officer of some sort, and next to it Matthew saw a holster that was not empty. He got the message and hurried into the back room as fast as he could, and quickly grabbed his arrangement table and shoved it into the door to try and prevent it from being opened. He should have put locks in the inner doors, like Al had told him too.

His whole body was tense, and at that very moment he heard shouting, followed by shattering glass and a gunshot.

Then a familiar voice. "Matthew? Matthew?"

He moved the table and rushed out, and the taller man pulled him close. "It's okay, they're gone, and I got their license plates. One of them shattered the glass in the door, but all the money is still here."

Matthew clung to him and began to cry, and the man guided him over to a chair he kept by the window for reading when the shop was empty. The man sat him down, and then went over to the office door and opened it.

Kuma ran straight to Matthew and began to lick his face in a worried way. Matthew pulled him close, crying into his fur, while the silver-haired man called someone on his cell phone.

"Hello. This is Officer Braginsky. I'm calling to report an attempted armed robbery near 7th Street Station, at Northern Flowers. Please send an officer and ambulance as soon as you can."

He hung up his phone and turned back to Matthew. Matthew turned and looked at him. "I don't need an ambulance."

"You're in shock, and if you don't mind, I'd rather have the paramedics give you a look before we decide whether or not you need an ambulance."

Matthew dug his hands deep into Kuma's fur as he nodded.

"I'll stay right here, okay?"

Matthew looked at the man, who had knelt down to talk to him. Suddenly Matthew laughed. The man raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"I've been meaning to ask your name since I first saw you, and this is the first time I've been able to ask!" He said, laughing still, and feeling the awkwardness of the moment slip away.

The man smiled. "I'm Ivan Braginsky."

"Matthew Williams." Matthew said. "And this is my dog Kuma."

Kuma lifted up his head at his name and then gave Matthew another lick across the face, before laying back down on Matthew's lap.

Ivan stayed next to him until the ambulance and police officer arrived. The paramedics looked him over, and besides elevated heartbeat, which was unsurprising given the day he'd had and his stress levels, they decided he was fine to stay and talk to the officer now, though they did give him a bright orange shock blanket. He wondered how long before it became half white, and was answered within thirty seconds when Kuma came up and managed to shed infinite white hairs on the lower half of the blanket.

He walked over to Ivan, who had plugged the license number into the other officer's computer, and soon a ping rose from the computer.

"Registered to a woman named Evelyn Smith. The thieves were two young men. I suspect a son and friend, myself. I didn’t get the tire like I’d hoped, but I did put a slug in the car’s back bumper.”

The other officer turned and looked at Matthew. "Were you able to get a good look at your assailants?"

"Yes. I'd recognize them again if I saw them."

The officer nodded, and then spoke. "I suggest you call a family member or a taxi to take you home, Mr. Williams, and I'll call you as soon as we have a lead or a report for you to file with your insurance."

Matthew was about to give the man his number until he saw the business card in his hands. "Thank you."

The officer drove away, and Matthew was glad that nearly every shop on the street was closed today. He stumbled back inside to clean up the place, and Ivan followed him.

They swept the broken glass in silence, and Matthew called his insurance, which promised to send out an agent the next morning at eight. He moved the flowers into the back room and turned on the heat so they would survive, and then put everything in his office in the back as well. It was pretty crowded by the time he was done.

He was trying to figure out what to do about the door when Ivan came out of the office and put his phone back in his pocket. "I have a friend who works as a bouncer. He'll come by and watch the place overnight so you can go home and rest."

Matthew nodded. "How much will I need to pay him?"

"The price is free."

He looked up at Ivan. "I can't..."

"He owes me a favor, and I told him what it was. One night of guarding a flower shop that got broken into. He'll do it for no charge. Don't worry."

About fifteen minutes later an albino man entered the shop. "Hey Ivan."

Ivan nodded. "Hello, Gilbert. It's an easy job for the night, and you can leave when Matthew arrives in the morning."

The albino, who was a bit bigger than Matthew, but very slim in comparison to Ivan, looked at him. Matthew began to speak. "Thank you for..."

"Hey, it's fine, no thanks needed. Just tell me there's a place I can sit where the wind isn't blowing up my ass every three seconds."

Matthew blushed a little, and then opened the door to his office. "It's not very warm, even when the door's closed, but..."

"It's better than nothing. Don't worry, I'm used to the cold, and well-prepared for it. It's the wind that I can't stand."

With Gilbert in place, Matthew was able to breath easy, and locked the shop door with paper now stapled in place of glass to try and deter any other robbers and to keep some of the wind out of the shop.

Matthew walked out onto the street and Ivan spoke. “Are you going to drive home?”

“I don’t have a car. I walk to my house.”

Ivan shook his head. “Follow me. I’ll take you and Kuma home.”

Kuma stayed close to Matthew’s side as they walked into the 7th Street Station Car Garage, Ivan drove an older Ford truck, and Matthew didn’t feel worried for a moment as he and Kuma loaded up into the cab of the truck.

Ivan drove him home, a fifteen minute walk, a three minute drive. He got out of the car, and was about to say goodbye, but stopped.

“Uh, Ivan?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to come in?”

Ivan paused for a moment, and then nodded. “Yes, Matthew. I’d like that very much.”

The new year came with arrests, a new front door in the shop, as well as locks on the inner rooms.

But it also came with something else.

Matthew no longer put out huge bouquets of sunflowers, but instead a single one in a tall elegant vase.

Every afternoon, at 3:44, the door to the shop opened as Ivan came in. Ivan worked at the local school during the day, and at five he’d go to the station and work in Drug Enforcement for a few hours, but he always stopped and spent about forty-five minutes with Matthew in the shop. It reassured both of them.

And on February 14th, as Matthew’s shop was filled with crowds of boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, single people and a myriad of others, Ivan took the night off to help Matthew.

At one point, Matthew had to run into the back room to grab a bouquet while Ivan was trying to find a specific order. Ivan looked up and spoke. “Matthew?”

“Yes?” He asked, standing next to Ivan, looking for an unclaimed bouquet.

Ivan suddenly pulled him close and gave him a kiss on the head, before turning away, embarrassed.

Matthew paused, and then laughed, and grabbed Ivan’s collar, and pulled him down just a little bit, and gave him a real kiss.

Ivan blinked, a little shocked.

“And despite my wish, that’s all I have time for right now, because I’m running a shop and this is the busiest time of the year.” Matthew said, and then gave Ivan a quick peck on the cheek before running back out with a bouquet and a grin on his face.

Everything was going the way he had hoped.

It really was.


End file.
